The Terror
by Bown
Summary: The Darkness has been inside Rachel since she was born. But what will happen when it is unleashed?
1. The Beginning of the End

A/N: This is set Pre-45. Hope you like it! This idea's been going round in my head for quite a long time, and I am putting all my other projects on hold for it. R/R please!  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The Terror  
by DJ Eagel.  
  
RACHEL  
  
My name is Rachel. Just Rachel. I have a last name, but I can't tell you it. You might be one of them. A controller. A Yeerk. If I told you anything else about me, my last name, my address, you might drag me down to the Yeerk pool, kicking and screaming, and put my head under. Then, a Yeerk would crawl in my ear, attatch itself around my brain, and take control. I would not be able to move. I would be a slave in my own body. I would scream inside my head as the Yeerk moved my hands and feet for me, chose when I had to eat or pee, and generally did everything for me. I would be a controller.  
  
I know what you're probably thinking: Wacko! But I'm not kidding. It's the truth. The Yeerks are a parasatic alien species who take over peoples bodies. They are taking over the world, through a silent invasion. A lot of people are controllers already. The Assistant Principal at the School I go to, for example, Chapman. And my cousin Tom.  
  
Ok, now you're probably thinking: Ok, Nurse? But this isn't a joke. Me and my friends are the only thing that can stop them. One night, me and my friends, Cassie, my best friend, and farm girl, Jake, my cousin and Tom's Brother, Marco, Jakes best friend, and Tobias, a wierd kid who hung around with Jake and Marco, were walking through an abandoned construction site, when we saw a bright light in the Sky. That light turned out to be an Andilite Spaceship. Andilites have fought a huge war against the Yeerks for many Centuries. This one, Elfangor, was about to die. But before he did, he told us about the Yeerk invasion. And he gave us the power to morph.  
  
That's right, to morph. To aquire the DNA of any animal we touch, and we can then become that animal. So now, we fight the Yeerks. Jake, the Unofficial leader, Marco, the person who can see clearly point A to point B, and will focus on what needs to be done. Cassie, Jakes unofficial girlfriend, well-meaning, peaceful, but a good fighter. Ax, Elfangoir's brother, who we had rescued from the Ocean back when we started this War Tobias, my boyfriend, and a hawk. That's right, a Hawk. You see, if you stay in morph for more then two hours, you get trapped in that morph. That's what happened to Tobias. He got his morphing ability back, but his natural form is a Hawk. At least he can morph back into his old human body, but only being able to stay in it for 2 hours at a time makes dates very short.  
  
And then there's me. Rachel. The ruthless one. The one that'll be first into a fight, and last out. I guess I'm a warrior. Yes. I like that. Only I've benn feeling weird lately. More........dark. I can't really explain it. Maybe I'm going insane.  
  
Anyway, I was just hanging out with everyone, at Cassies barn, our usual meeting place. Jake, pacing the floor, Marco, on a bale of hay, Tobias, in the rafters, Ax, in his strangely attractive human morph, sitting next to Marco, Cassie, cleaning out a cage for a bird (Cassie's parents own the Whildlife Rheabilitation Clinic, where the take in sick or injured animals. Cassie helps them out.), and me, leaning against a wall, watching Cassie scrub at the cage.  
"It's times like this I sometimes wish my parents didn't own this place," She grumbled. "The Osprey who was in this cage sure pooped a lot."  
Everyone laughed, except for Jake.  
"What's up, Jake?" I asked him.  
"Erek told me the Yeerks are working on a new project." He told us.  
Erek is our spy inside the Sharing, a Yeerk front orginization. He is one of the Chee, an aincient race of Androids, who came to Earth about the time of the Aincient Egyptions. He tells us what the Yeerks are planning, that kind of stuff.  
"So, what's the project?" Cassie asked him, as she put the cage down, and took the rubber gloves she was wearing off.  
"Yes," said Ax. "What is the project. Proj. Ect. Prrrrrrrrrrr."  
Andilites don't have mouths, so when Ax morphs into human, he has a tendancy to play with his words.  
"That's the problem." Jake replied. "He doesn't know yet. He says he'll come over when he does know."  
"Why should we wait for him to come to us?" I found myself saying. "Let's go to the Yeerk Pool, right now, and smash whatever it is to pieces!"  
"Tut-tut, Xena." Marco said. "If we did that, we'd die. And dying is not on my To-Do list."  
"Shut up, you little runt, or I'll morph to bear and rip your guts out!" Whoa! What was I saying?  
"Whoa, Jake, calm her down!" Marco stood up.  
I backed him against the wall. "You better watch your mouth, Marco, or I'll get you one of these days!" I backed away, and started to morph to Bald Eagle, my bird morph.  
"Rachel, what's wrong?" Cassie asked me.  
I ignored her. I finished my morph and flew away. But Tobias came after me.  
Rachel, what's wrong? He asked me.  
I don't know, Tobias. I told him. I need some time to figure things out.   
I flew back to my house, and Tobias went back to the Barn.  
  
"What the hell is up with me?"  
I was laying on my bed, thinking. Why had I yelled at Marco? Why had I backed him up against the wall? And why, why, did it feel like it was something else using my body?  
"Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha!" A voice said. "This is just wonderful!"  
I turned around, and saw the face of the Drode, servant of Crayak, the Ultimite evil being. He could control the Space-time continuim, if it wasn't for a being, the same as him, but working for good, the Ellimist.  
"It's Crayak, isn't it?" I asked him. "He's doing this to me."  
"Very good, genius." The Drode answered sarcastically.  
"But how is he doing this without the Ellimist knowing?"  
"Great Crayak is far superior to that meddling fool."  
I realized that was the best answer I was going to get. "So what's he doing to me?"  
"You shouldn't be in the Animorphs, Rachel." He said. "You are too dark, too evil. Crayak is trying to get you to see this. You shouldn't be taking orders from that idiot Jake. You should kill them all, and go off on your own mission to get the Yeerks. They are too wary. The Yeerks will infest them all. Only you have the chance to save them. by killing them. Only you have the guts. They will lose Rachel. But you, and you alone, will win. But only if you kill them. All of them."  
What he said, was it true? I wasn't sure. But then again, this was the Drode. The servant of evil itself. I decided on a reply.  
"Screw you, Drode. I don't deal with evil."  
"But Rachel, you are evil. The Darkness inside is growing. Soon, it will be unleashed. Take the offer, or you will die with the Animorphs."  
"Piss off."  
And with that, he went.  
  
I was still thinking about what he had said an hour later. The darkness inside me......growing.........unleashed. What did he mean by unleashed? And he said I was evil. But then I remembered what I had said to Jake once.  
"Maybe you're right, Jake. Maybe I do get off on it all. But I still know where the line is. And I won't cross it."  
That was as true now as it had ever been.  
Then I remembered the time I was split into two Rachel's, one bad, one good. If the darkness was unleashed, would I be like the bad Rachel? Or worse?  
BRRRING!!!!!!!  
I answered the phone. It was Jake.  
"Hey, Rachel, Erek's at the barn with the Maths Homework. Coming?  
"Sure!" I hung up.  
I put the phone down, still feeling angry and sad.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
A/N: So? Thoughts? Please review and tell me! 


	2. Unleashed

A/N: I'm writing this Chapter right after I fail the mission in Grand Theft Auto Three where you have to go to all the phones for the Spy for the Yakuza (If anyones got any tips for it, I would like them A LOT. Please?), which may explain what Jordan says in this story.  
  
If you hate Angst, I suggest you skip the first part of the story. It is sap of the highest level!  
  
Well, R/R please!  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
RACHEL  
  
I ran down the steps two at a time, and was just to run out the front door when Mum stepped in front of me.  
"Hi Mum!" I said brightly. "I need to go out, so if you'll just move out the way of the door............."  
"Not just now, young lady." She replied. "It's your turn to do the dishes, and you've been putting it off for four days now!"  
I shot a glance towards the sink. Piles of dirty dishes, glasses, and pots were in there. Yuck. And especially since doing the dishes is my least favourite chore.  
"You know, you could put some of that stuff in the dishwasher.........." I said, knowing that that was stupid.  
"You know perfectly well that the dishwasher is broken, so get to it!"  
"But Mum!" I was yelling now. "I need to go to Cassie's place!"  
I expected Mum to react with an equal amount of anger, but instead, she looked sad.  
"You're always spending time at Cassies, or 'out', I feel like I don't know you anymore." She said.  
I hung my head. Guilt. Dammit.  
"And I know that you've been sneaking out at night as well!"  
I was shocked. How could she know? The Shock obviously showed on my face, because then Mum said, "Yes, I know all about it. So Rachel, tell me....."Her voice broke, and she sobbed for about 10 seconds, with her head in her hands. I looked away, feeling worse then I had ever been.   
Finally she looked up, and I saw her tear-streaked face.  
"Rachel.....you and Cassie.....have you joined a gang? Or are you on drugs?"  
She gave a little laugh, like she was trying to convince herself she was joking. Then her expression turned serious, and I knew that in her head, she believed what she asked me. She believed that I was on drugs, or in a gang. And I felt shame. This was my fault. My doing. My lies had caused this. But I had to lie. It was either the truth or the world when you were an Animorph. But I had to talk to Mum.   
"Mum," I said. "I am not in a gang. I am not on drugs. Please believe me." I looked into her eyes, and poured my love into them.  
"Then why have you been sneaking out at night?" She asked. "Oh, we'll continue this talk later." she said, before I got the chance to speak. "I have to go to a meeting." She walked out the door. "And remember," She called over her shoulder, "Those dishes better be sparkling when I get back!"  
"Bitch," I swore under my breath. Then I was shocked at myself. How, even though I had just been through an emotional drama, could I still manage to be pissed at Mum? Was this the Darkness the Drode had told me about?  
Maybe I shouldn't go on this mission. Maybe I needed to cool my anger. No, I couldn't let Jake down. I would get out of this, one way or another.  
"Has Mum gone yet?" Jordan asked me, from the computer, where she sat, absorbed in Grand Theft Auto. I wasn't sure if she had heard any of the conversation that had gone on, just a minute ago.  
"Yep." I told her. "Some meeting.....as usual."  
"Shit!" She swore out loud. "Piece of crap mission! How are you supposed to get to the godamn Spy when every car in Liberty City seems to want to crash into you?"  
Despite my mood, I grinned. Jordan pretended to be a nice little girl in front of Mum, but when she wasn't here, BAM! Badass time! I walked over to the computer.  
"Maybe," I said, "You could do the mission if you didn't drive on the wrong side of the road in the fastest car in the game," I said, tickling her stomach. Hey, she's my sister. I love her.  
"Stop, Rachel!" Jordan said, pushing me off her, but I could see the giggle threatining to come through.  
"I need a favour." I whispered in her ear.  
"What?" She said, once again blowing up civilians on the game.  
"I need you to do the dishes for me." I said. "I have to go to Cassie's place."  
"Five dollars." She said, holding out her hand.  
I sighed, found the money in my pocket, and handed it to her. She paused the game, and went off to the Kitchen.  
"Will Marco be there?" She asked as she was putting on a pair of Rubber Gloves.  
"Yeah." I said, as I headed out the front door.  
"Give him a kiss for me!"  
I laughed. "Dream on, Sis!" I closed the door behind me, checked nobody was watching, morphed to Eagle, and flew to the Barn.  
  
JAKE  
  
Rachel flew in. I noticed Marco flinch as she demorphed.  
"What took you so long?" I asked her.  
"Emotional crap." She answered. "And having to bribe Jordan to do the dishes for me. Which reminds me. Marco?"  
"Y-Yes?" He asked, still scared.   
"She wanted me to give you this."  
Rachel walked over and gave him a peck on the cheek.   
Rachel! Tobias said, from the rafters.   
"Hey, it was from Jordan! I owe her something!"  
"Anyway, I said, interrupting. "I think it's time for Erek to tell us the Yeerks plan."  
"Where is Erek, anyway?" Marco asked. "And while we're at it, I don't remember that Tree ever being here before." He pointed to a Tree.  
"You'd be suprised how much in common those two things have." I said. "Tobias, anyone around?"  
Nope.   
"Ok. Erek, come out!"  
The tree shimmered and turned into the Dog-Like android that was Erek the Chee. He waked over to us.  
"This is top stuff. All The top Five Vissers are going to be there." He told us.  
"Who are they?" I asked him.  
"Erm, Visser One, obviously not Marco's Mum anymore, that's some human called Jack Lupino..."  
"Jack Lupino, the Mafia guy?" Marco asked him.  
"Well, I think he's in the Mafia."  
"What is a Mafia?" Ax asked. "I like that sound. Maff. Fia. Ma."  
"Visser Two, just got a new host body, Admiral Carrington, Visser Three, you know him, Visser Four, his host is a new Actor on the scene called Louis Robert..."  
"Damn." Rachel said. "He was cute. And he's the next big thing."  
"And Visser Five, he has a Garatron host."  
"Garatron?" Cassie asked.  
"Those fast things that look like Andilites." Rachel said. "The ones that can outrun a Cheetah."  
"So, what is the plan?" Marco asked.  
"The Yeerks have found out about Crayak, about the Old Howlers."  
I remembered how the Howlers had been destroyed by having Love go into their collective memories, by me. I saw Rachel flinch at the word Crayak. Had he done something to her?  
"They are planning on using their technology to make Host bodies into Howlers. And then stiing them loose across the World." Erek looked sick. I knew how he hated violence. "They are planning on killing enough humans so that they could easily win all-out war."  
"But that's insane!" Cassie shouted suddenly. "It makes no sense! The Yeerks need as many host bodies as they can get! So why wuld they try and kill so many humans?"  
"When you get to this stage in a war, it's amazing what you will try to do." Erek said, quietly. "The worst part is, they are planning to make them recognize blood with traces of Animal DNA in it."  
I froze. If they did that, they would find us. They would bring us to the Yeerks. And we would die, or be infested.  
"Ok," I said. "Where is this being held? And when?"  
"At the Yeerk Pool, in about an hour." Erek said. "You have no time. You must act now."  
"He's right." I said. "Let's go. Now. The Yeerk Pool. Now. Trash this priject, and get out of there."  
"Now you're talking." Rachel smiled her dangerous smile.  
I walked over to her. "Rachel?" I asked her.  
"Yeah?" She replied.  
"I'm not sure you should go on this mission." I said. "I have a suspicion something might have happened to you. Something to do with Crayak, because I saw you flinch when Erek said his name."  
"I'm fine, Jake." She replied. "I was just flinching because he's so evil, and all. Plus, you try and keep me away from destroying the Yeerk Pool, and you must be mad."  
I smiled, though I felt like puking. She was lying. No doubt about it. But I couldn't stop her from coming. I needed everyone in this operation. Including her. "Ok, then, let's go!" I said to her. Then to everyone: "Bird Morphs, people!"   
We flew off, to yet another mission. Possibly the hardest one we've ever had to do.  
  
RACHEL  
  
We were in the Yeerk Pool complex, in various human morphs we had picked up through our journeys. Everyone was silent. In the middle of the Yeerk Pool were five humans, each chained to a pole.  
Hey, why do you think they're chained up? I asked everyone else. I couldn't normally thought-speak in my natural morph, but in someome elses I could.  
I guess in case they lose control. Marco said. Let's face it, the Howlers we faced weren't exactly picky about who to kill.   
Then, a side door opened, and the five Vissers walked out. Visser One: Definetly the Mafia hotshot, Jack Lupino. I could tell by the huge tattoo that covered the right side of his face. Then came Admiral Carrington. I recognized him from various news stories he had been involved in. Then came Visser Three, the evil Andilite. Then Visser Four, and Louis Robert's extremely cute face. Leanardo Dicaprio, watch out. Then Visser Five, and the Garatron inspector that had outran me. I guess he had been promoted. Or demoted. I wasn't sure whether Inspector was higher than Visser or not.  
They walked through the Crowd, and stood facing the Chained humans.  
"Fellow Yeerks!" Visser One yelled, in Lupino's voice, the voice that could freeze fire itself, it was so cold. "This is out time! The time for the new species of host. The Howler-Yeerk!"  
Everyone cheered.  
"Now, me and the rest of the Vissers are going to stand next to one of the hosts, and inject it with......this!" He pulled out a tranquilizer from his pocket, and I saw that it was filled with a black liquid. The other Vissers pulled theirs out, too. "Vissers, pick your host!" Visser One cried, sounding like the Host of a game show called Eternal hell, or something evil like that.  
The five Vissers each stood in front of one of the five human hosts, who all looked scared to death.  
"Now.....Inject!"  
They injected the Liquid into the Hosts. Everyone waited to see what would happen. Waiting........  
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!"  
The host bodies sounded on fire! They all screamed for about ten seconds. Then, their heads slumped against their shoulders, and they died.  
There was an amount of mumbling from the crowd. Then:  
"HISSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
The hosts had looks of utmost evil on their faces. Then, claws, as long as their arms, grew out from their nails. A spiked tail grew out from their butts. Their teeth grew as sharp as knives. And wings grew out from their backs! They struggled to get out of the chains. Soem people got scared, and tried to run. But Visser Four stepped forward.  
"Don't worry, fellow Yeerks," He said. "the Howler-Yeerks cannot get out of the chains until released. You are all safe."  
Right after he said this. one of the Howler-Yeerks broke free and stabbed one of their claws through his back. It came out the other side, and Louis Robert fell to the floor, dead.  
The rest broke their chains, and joined the first one. Then, they dove into the crowd!   
It was chaos! I saw the remaining four Vissers run out of the door as fast as they could.   
"Rachel!" Jake called me. "Quick, come with us! We're going to demorph, and remorph with some serious firepower. We need to kill these things!"  
Suddenly, something struck me. The Yeerks could not have possibly done this by themselves! Crayak must have helped them! The cheating---!  
Suddenly all I could think of was hate. Hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate. And I could feel the darkness. It was about to explode. I had to do something.  
"Rachel! Come on!" I felt Jake tugging at my arm.  
"No, Jake." I said.  
"WHAT? Come on!"  
"I'm sorry, Jake." I said, tears welling up in my eyes. "I'm sorry."  
"Sorry for what?" Jake said.  
"Take me, Crayak." I said. "Take me."  
I looked at Jake. All he could do was stare. He had known. He. Had. Known.  
Suddenly, pain! All I could feel was pain, through every cell in my body! Then, I just saw blackness. Then, Crayak was in front of me. The huge red eye.  
ARE YOU READY TO BE BORN AGAIN, RACHEL BERENSON?  
"Yes," I said, choking. "Yes."  
GOOD. I HAVE WAITED FOR THIS MOMENT FOR SO LONG.  
Then, I was back on the floor again. But I was different.  
The hate expression on my face. The claws. The Tail. The Teeth. And the wings.  
I had become a Howler. And all I could think was KillHateDeathTradegy. KillHateDeathTradegy. KillHateDeathTradegy. KillHateDeathTradegy. KillHateDeathTradegy.   
All I wanted to do was kill. To kill anyone who got in my way.  
Suddenly, I saw a Wolf. A wolf, and I could see that it had other DNA inside it. Animal DNA. I would have to kill it.  
I rushed towards it, and bit down on its leg, ripping it off...................  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
*Sniffs* Poor Animorphs. Ooh, I have some great ideas for this. Just wait for the next Chapter!  
  
Please, drop me a review, telling me what you think of this! 


End file.
